Finding An Affordable Dog Sitter In Berkeley, CA
Looking for affordable dog boarding in Berkeley? We have all been there as fellow dog parents. Getting a truly trustworthy dog sitter or a caring boarding service that is still in your budget is definitely a challenge. Sound familiar?
To help you out, we’ve looked into some popular dog boarding options in Berkeley to find some average prices.
Dog Hotels and Boarding
Dog hotels like Wag Hotels in Oakland, offer a private room for your dog ranging from $52–70 a night, depending on doggy size. For a more personal touch, you can pay for add-ons like $18 for one-on-one play time. Other more premium dog hotels like The Barkeley Hotel can already include some of those add-ons like group play time and bathroom breaks but still cost $65/night. While rates in these boarding facilities stay the same, the dog hotel chain is quick to be booked during busy holiday season. These prices are also echoed in other more localized locations like Oakland’s Happy Hound that still ranges from $80–400, including day care.
Dog Sitter Sites
Meanwhile Rover.com has individuals offering dog boarding in their homes. Prices can vary based on different services namely overnight boarding vs. daycare vs. house sitting. Prices can also be higher when the dog sitter has more experience or good ratings. Similar to Wag Hotels, the best of Rover dog sitters are booked months in advance for long weekends and holidays, under higher “holiday” prices due to demand. When we looked, the average price listed during a non-holiday in Berkeley and Richmond was $42/night, $37/night on Oakland, and $40/night in Alameda.
Typically, dog boarding and dog sitter services can cost an average of $51 per night in the Berkeley area.
But there’s more…
In addition to the price tag, there are other factors to consider such as your dog’s reaction to a brand new environment alone, filtering through recommendations for pet sitters, etc.
Louie’s Club, the dog sitting exchange community
If you are looking for an alternative to dog boarding facilities and paid sitters, you should consider signing up for Louie’s Club!
Louie’s Club is a dog-sitting exchange community where dog parents and dog lovers connect and trade care — dog sharing and caring.
In Louie’s Club, members do not ask for money, or pay for dog-sitting. It is also free to join, explore and start connecting with over 1,000 members in the Bay Area. For access to premium benefits, dog owners pay a low annual membership fee of $60.
Inspired by Louie, a sweet fun-loving havanese, Louie’s Club was an idea that came from the struggle of finding dog boarding that both Louie and his parents were happy with. (Read more about the story behind Louie’s Club).
At a dog sitting exchange like Louie’s Club, there are parts of the community that you cannot find elsewhere:
- A place where people are hosting because they love dogs, and not to get paid
- An intimate and personal experience for your dog, given the ability to search for dogs by size, breed, personality etc so your pooch has great company when you are away
To sum up, as one of our members said, “People on Louie’s Club are not here to earn money, but they are there to help the dog community. It’s just more personal. You get peace of mind.”
Join Louie’s Club to connect with different hosts and dogs in your city. With your membership, you can send messages and arrange meetups with other members before your dog spends the night. More importantly, you can get to know other dog lovers that can care for your dog for those precious times you can’t.
